<html><head><style type="text/css"></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div>To Commissar Cox: Since I first used "hardwired" in the thread, I'll respond: It was casual shorthand, used in place of the more cumbersome and prolix phrase "innate inclination towards." For example, I think it'd be fair to say humans are hardwired to inhale and exhale oxygen. <br><br> I think there's a quote attributed to Nietzsche that's something like, "The good writer does not write for an overly critical or shrewd audience, and prefers being understood to being admired." My own usage of "hardwired" was in that spirit. It's an oversimplification, yes, but unless you simplify lots of things here -- while remaining conscious of how they simplify, and what sorts of problems that could cause -- you end up writing posts that are like 34k grad-school looking things, which suck to read. <br> <br> -B.<br> <br> <br> Carrol Cox wrote:<br> <br> "I suggest that it is nearly impossible to have a rational conversation while allowing use of the metaphor of 'hard-wired.'"</div></div></body></html>